1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge, and more particularly to a hinge for a portable computing device that facilitates the connection of cables to their corresponding devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A portable computing device having movable parts generally requires a hinge that assists the movement of a cover relative to a base. With reference to FIG. 4, a conventional hinge disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0242756 comprises a shaft 40 and a rotating bracket 50 rotatably mounted on the shaft 40. The shaft 40 is formed by processing a rod-like material and includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is cut to form a cylindrical tube 41 by a computer numerical control (CNC) machine. The cylindrical tube 41 has an internal cavity, an inward opening 411 and an outward opening (not shown). The second portion is cut and drilled to form a fastening piece 42 by a numerical control (NC) machine.
To attach the hinge to a base and a cover of a portable computing device, screws are adapted to secure the fastening piece 42 of the shaft 40 to the base and also to secure the rotating bracket 50 to the cover. Cables, which serve to provide power and communications between devices in the base and cover, are then passed through the internal cavity of the cylindrical tube 41 of the shaft 40 from the outward opening and extend out of the inward opening 411 to electrically connect the corresponding devices in the base and cover.
However, the cables extending from the inward opening 411 are blocked by the screws on the fastening piece 42, so that the cables cannot be connected directly to their corresponding devices. Thus, productivity is lowered. In addition, the shaft 40 is produced by the NC and CNC machines, both of which are expensive to purchase, and this results in a high cost of the hinge.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a hinge for a portable computing device to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.